Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau Experiences a Series of Coups

In Nov. 1980, João Bernardo Vieira headed
a military coup that deposed Luis Cabral, president since 1974. In his 19
years of rule, Vieira was criticized for crony capitalism and corruption
and for failing to alleviate the poverty of Guinea-Bissau, one of the
world's poorest countries. Vieira also brought in troops from Senegal and
the Republic of Guinea to help fight against an insurgency movement, a
highly unpopular act. In May 1999 rebels deposed Vieira.

Following a period of military rule, Kumba
Yalá, a former teacher and popular leader of Guinea-Bissau's
independence movement, was elected president in 2000. In Sept. 2003 he was
deposed in a military coup. Yalá's increasingly repressive measures
and refusal to hold elections were cited as causes. In 2005, former
president Vieira returned from six years of exile in Portugal and won the
presidency in the July 2005 elections.

Prime Minister Aristides Gomes resigned in April
2007, after Parliament voted to censure his government. Martinho Ndafa
Kabi was appointed as his successor. President Vieira dissolved Parliament
in August 2008, precipitating the fall of the government of Prime Minister
Kabi. Former prime minister Carlos Gomes Júnior succeeded Kabi.